Tag Archives: Cabot Tower

Views from the Top of Bristol

I posted about Cabot Tower in a previous post about our Bristol visit.  When there is a high point to try, it is likely I will head up there.  Nancy is less enthusiastic about this sort of thing than me so I left her below and headed up.  There is a narrow stone spiral staircase to get to the upper levels and I was rather glad that it wasn’t a busy day because the stairs would not be ideal to pass on.  It would work but it was better to not have to!

The view from the top was great.  You are already high when up on the hill but the extra 30m gives you a great view of the city in all directions.  You can see the various buildings within the city center, you have a great view over the harbour area, and you can see the stadium further out as well as the Ashton estate.  The stadium is Ashton Gate which is the home of Bristol City football club but from my perspective is more importantly the home ground for Bristol Bears rugby team.  Since Nancy was waiting below, I didn’t hang around too long up the tower but I did take in the views.  Shame it wasn’t a slightly nicer day but at least we got down and back to the car before the rain started.

Cabot Tower

I previously posted some shots of Brandon Park in Bristol.  At the top of the hill in the park is Cabot Tower.  Cabot was an explorer of Italian heritage and is tied to the exploration of Canada.  His voyage set forth from Bristol – hence the association.  It is on the high point of the park, but it adds some height to the views of the surrounding city.  That will be the subject of another post.  For now, I shall focus on the views of the tower itself.

The grounds surrounding the tower are ornamental and provide a nice setting for the tower.  It is a cool stone structure and provides a focal point for the park.  It is about 30m tall, which gives you an enhanced vantage point to view the surroundings.  It was recently restored after having suffered some degradation and hopefully will be in good shape for a while before requiring any further work.